Can you guess who the people are talking about in this passage from scripture: "When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, 'He is out of his mind' "? (Mark 3)
How about this passage:"For even his own brothers did not believe in him"? (John 7)
Any guesses who they are talking about? If you guessed Jesus, you are correct.
According to these scriptures, Jesus' family thought he fell somewhere between liar ("for even his own brothers did not believe in him") and lunatic ("he is out of his mind").
In an odd kind of way, I feel a bit comforted by this. If Jesus, the Prince of Peace, the embodiment of Love personified, experienced such difficulties, why in the world should I be as presumptuous as to think I can do any better? Are you with me?
In John 7, Jesus was purposely avoiding Judea because there were death threats from the Jews there.
Jesus' brothers began taunting him. They suggested Jesus go to Judea to the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles and show himself to the world by performing some miracles. Can you hear the sarcasm?
John made sure there was no ambiguity when he added even Jesus' "own brothers did not believe in him."
Jesus' response to his brothers can teach us a lot. Jesus told his brothers to go to the Feast, but said it wasn't his time yet.
That's it. He didn't argue. He didn't get defensive. He didn't try and prove he was right. He didn't try and change his brothers. He accepted them as they were. Nor did he bend. He asserted himself and sets limits (You go ahead and go. I'm not going yet). He stuck with his plan and stayed focused on his purpose.
He responded simply, with as few words as possible, with grace and love.
Chris Karcher is the author of Relationships of Grace and Amazing Things I Know About You, available from www.relationshipsofgrace.com and 1-877-GET-GRACE (toll free). Chris can be reached at www.relationshipsofgrace.com.
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